Tears of Pearls
by Elegant Solution
Summary: [Hairspray 2007] CornyAmberShelley. Amber wants Shelley to find comfort and love with her and Corny.  Lyrics by Savage Garden.


_Is love really the tragedy the way you  
Might describe?  
Or would a thousand lovers  
Still leave you cold inside?_

"Do you love me?" Shelley asked softly.

Amber thought about that for a few moments before answering.

"Yes," she said after a long pause.

"But you love Corny too?" she asked just as softly and Amber nodded her head.

"I do."

"Is it possible to love two people at the same time?"

"Sure, why not?"

Amber's eyes darted nervously to the clock, checking on the time.

"Go. I hate it when you fidget," Shelley sighed, drawing her knees against her chest.

"Sorry, he'll be home soon, I think I should be there before he gets back," she replied.

"You haven't told him yet have you?" she asked.

"No, it's not easy. I love him, Shelley, I don't want to hurt him, but I don't want to hurt you either. God, this is so complicated," Amber said, closing her eyes and rubbed her throbbing temples with her fingers.

"Someone is going to get hurt, Amber, no matter what. It should probably be me again, I've handled it once before. Corny would be crushed though, besides it's probably better for you to be with a man," Shelley replied and Amber shot daggers at her.

"I don't care about that anymore, Shelley. I am not my mother's daughter anymore. I'll find a way to make this work," Amber said, grabbing Shelley's hand and squeezing it tightly.

_Make you cry...   
These tears of pearls_

Amber winced as the glass shattered into a thousand pieces as it slammed into the wall. Her heart was beating faster and she was slightly afraid at this moment. Corny looked ready to kill.

"You are a slut," he growled at her and the words stung more than she could bear.

"No please, Corny, please just listen, please. That's all I ask, just listen," she begged, grabbing his arm.

He wanted to pull it away and smack her right across her face for hurting him like this. Instead his muscles tensed under her grip.

"Fine, I will listen," he said through tense lips.

Amber let go of his arm and cleared her throat.

"I love you, you don't understand how much I love you and I'm sorry for sleeping with her. I shouldn't have done that, but Shelley, she really needs me right now and I tried to fight the feelings I have for her, but I can't do that anymore. Please try to understand that I cannot abandon her," Amber explained calmly.

There was a deadly, uncomfortable silence that hung in the air for a long time. It made Amber want to scream at the top of her lungs so she could break it. Finally, Corny turned around and his dark blue eyes met her own.

"Does he really beat her?" he asked.

"Yes, I've seen the bruises. I've seen the way she trembles when he comes home, I can see the fear in her eyes," she replied.

"Do you really love her?"

"Yes."

"Do you really love me?"

"With all my heart, Corny."

His warm hands reached out and grasped her arms.

"Do you think we can make this work? People will talk, people will hate us probably."

"I'm used to people hating me, Corny," she said, a small smile tugging on her lips.

_All these mixed emotions we  
Keep locked away like stolen pearls  
Stolen pearl devotions we  
Keep locked away from all the world_

Corny's finger brushed against the bruise on Shelley's cheek before he pressed the ice pack against it. Amber had gotten the red head's nose to stop bleeding a few minutes earlier. Billy would have beaten the poor woman to a pulp if Corny hadn't showed up in time. If there was one thing he loathed, it was a man beating up a woman like she was some sort of wild animal that belonged to him.

"You're safe now, baby," Amber smiled down at her kindly and all Shelley could do was finally allow the tears to roll down her cheeks.

_Your kisses are like pearls,  
So different and so rare_

"I'm not sure I can do this," Corny said, hesitating slightly as he looked away from the naked red head sitting before him on the bed.

"Baby, it's ok. I'm not going to be mad or jealous. I just want to want to watch you make love to her. You need to make love to her, you need to show her how a man should treat a woman," Amber said, resting her head on his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his naked waist.

Shelley peered up at him through her curtain of red hair with blue eyes that looked so sad and lost. She looked like Amber had once.

"I'll be with you the entire time baby," Amber said, pushing him towards her gently.

Shelley wrapped her arms lightly around his neck as he stroked her soft hips that still had a few light purple bruises on them. She was broken and needed to be fixed. Amber's lips were against the back of his neck as he guided his way into Shelley. She wasn't used to a man being this gentle with her. She was used to Billy smacking her and then roughly taking her.

Amber tangled her fingers in Corny's dark hair, tugging his head back slightly so she could kiss him hard. She was the one controlling the situation and she rather liked it. She liked seeing her two lovers making love to each other. It was so beautiful to her; she wanted them to both understand why she loved them so much. Her fingers tangled in Shelley's red hair next as she kissed her. Corny had shown her what true love was and now it was Shelley's turn to experience it.

_We twist and turn where angels burn  
Like fallen soldiers we will learn  
That once forgotten, twice removed  
Love will be the death...  
The death of you_


End file.
